Eye on ‘Gay Muslims’

In striving to clarify the teachings of Islam regarding sexuality, and inviting the creation to obey their Creator in what He commanded them and prohibited them from, while responding to false claims and misconceptions, we hope to be counted among the callers to Allah, of whom the Qur’an says:

And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah, works righteousness, and says: “I am of the Muslims”?
[41:33]

Name-calling does not hurt us, but it is sad to see how readily the people towards whom this sincere advice and invitation is directed turn against those who – from their hearts – wish the best for them. Sometimes medicine is bitter. The Qur’an provides many examples of the people’s rejection of their prophets and other reformers, which we may exemplify here with the case of the People of Lut (peace be on him):

But his people’s response was only that they said: “Eject them from your town. They are a people who want to be pure!”
[7:82]

When we tell people (Muslims!) that homosexual acts are forbidden in the Qur’an and Sunnah in the strictest terms, and that the person who engages in them will receive severe divine punishments if he does not repent, some people call us oppressors (“homophobes”). Well what should we be, “haramophiles”? If the person who is forbidden from following his desires considers himself oppressed, or – as they say – a victim of discrimination, then who is the guilty party?

When I tell someone to abstain from a sin he is attracted to (and claims to be created desiring it!) I am not his oppressor, because: (1) I did not create him; (2) I did not legislate the prohibition of that act. So if either of these things is the “crime”, then would someone accuse Almighty God!! Glory be to Him, Who does not oppress anyone in the least.

{…And your Lord does not wrong anyone.} [18:49]

In fact, if someone were walking to a place to commit a sin, and he happened to fall and break his leg, this would be the greatest divine mercy upon him. How much better that we receive admonition and heed it, seeking the pleasure of Allah and safety from His wrath.

Finally, as I said to someone who was seeking to justify homosexual acts in the name of mercy: “Our approach says that anyone can be a Companion of Paradise, while yours seeks to give people vain hopes then send them to Hell.”

Islamic etiquettes of debate dictate that you should think the best of the intentions of those with whom you disagree, but sometimes they have no redeeming qualities. Such is the case with Faisal Alam, founder of Al-Fahisha and therefore one on whom the hadith of our Prophet (peace be on him) applies: “Whoever establishes an evil pattern of conduct (sunnah sayyi’ah), then upon him is the sin of it and everyone who acts upon it until the Day of Judgement.” If the People of Lut (peace be on him) were the first humans to indulge in the base sin of sodomy, then Alam and his friends like Sid Thompson aka “Daayiee Abdullah” have (mis)led the way for modern Muslims who have sought to justify their sinful choices in Islam.

Let’s be clear that what they hate is not some Muslims’ “homophobia”, but Islam itself. In his latest interview entitled “Closet Jihad“, we find these telling statements:

With growing evidence that he’s no longer alone with his struggle, Alam says he has not fully reconciled his sexuality with his own faith. He doesn’t attend mosque, and considers himself more spiritual than religious.

“At the end of the day, we’re fighting 1,400 years of theology that in many ways is against us,” he says.

Listen well, O you who are “proud to be gay Muslims” (who comment here from time to time!), is this the sort of person you want to follow? He and his bedfellows are hurtling to their destruction, yet it is never too late for them to save themselves by turning back to God’s guidance.

Your Jihad is to resist your urges to do things that Allah Most High has prohibited.
Your Jihad is to stay patient through these temptations.
Your Jihad is to overcome these unwanted desires.Your Jihad is to please Allah every day and draw closer to Him.
Your Jihad is to turn to Him, trust in Him and ask His help in life.

Meanwhile people like Alam who have no faith left in their own hearts are trying to build a “coalition” to challenge the Muslim community and its leaders. A bit of humility and sincerity to Allah would be a much better solution to their problems. If they want a sympathetic ear to help them in obedience to the Creator, then that is their absolute right. If they want to shake things up in the name of “gay rights”, then they will meet with justified failure.

Inayat Bunglawala is a British activist who is not afraid to express opinions that upset enemies of Islam and Muslims, or sometimes fellow Muslims. I appreciate his efforts, even if I disagree with some things he says. Recently he has supposedly opened debates on the place of “homosexuals” (by which we mean here: people who identify as such, or same-sex attracted people who don’t) among the Muslim community – debates we have been advocating on this blog for a long time, alhamdu lillah.

But what sort of support? I think anything that could be done to jeopardise a human being’s standing before his Lord does not deserve to be dubbed “support”. As religious people, we should only advocate support that entails guiding people to goodness in this life and satisfaction in the Hereafter.

Bunglawala mixes a few issues that really ought to be addressed individually. First, he praises the Muslim Council of Britain’s support for the Equality Act a few years ago:

A Unique Perspective

Here we discuss the concept and emergence of "Gay Muslims", considering that homosexual activity is clearly forbidden in Islam. We kindly advise Muslims struggling with same-sex attraction, affirming that nobody is sinful for what they feel inside. As for those people who try to distort the religion, we refute them soundly with evidence.